Jupiter
first moved into Aries last spring with the first phase of the conjunction
of Jupiter to Uranus. This meeting of the two planets of
liberation in the sign of initiation was the instigator for the alignments in
cardinal planets that I called the Cardinal Drama. With up to seven
planets and luminaries interacting in the early degrees of the cardinal signs
(Aries, Libra, Cancer and Capricorn) last summer, it was a powerful force for
change. Jupiter and Uranus then retrograded back into Pisces where they
completed the second two phases of their conjunction. With Jupiter now
back in Aries, we begin to move forward to complete the work of last year’s
planetary events.

Aries
is the first sign of the zodiac. This is the beginning of new
experiences – in Aries we tend to approach our lives from a place of
innocence. Jupiter in Aries is accurately depicted by the Fool card in
the Tarot. The Rider Waite fool depicts someone who approaches their
life with complete trust and innocence. It’s a beautiful day, the Sun
is shining, and they’re about to walk off a cliff. The little dog is
barking in warning, but the Fool has complete trust that the Universe will
take care of him and protect him. Jupiter in Aries offers a fresh new
beginning of faith and trust in the Universe and in our own ability to follow
the path that our soul has set out for us.

Over
the past few years Saturn and Uranus have been in opposition to each other,
pitting the conservative thinking and desire to retreat to the past of Saturn
against the tremendous force for change that Uranus inspires. Uranus
rebels against the past and wants to experience something new and fresh –
Uranus wants a life that is better suited to a changing world. We have
seen this playing out in global politics, but also in our own lives. The
goal when two planets are in opposition is to integrate both polarities and
find harmony in the balance. Until we do that we are pulled back and forth –
pulled by Saturn back into the past, reflecting that which is safe, that which
we’ve depended on, and then pulled by Uranus which wants to break free into
something totally different and new.

When
Jupiter conjoined Uranus, encouraging that urgency for change, Saturn became
the weak point. Regression into the past was no longer an option. When
Jupiter and Uranus retrograded back into Pisces they were not as active, and
the pressure to create change in our lives lost some of the impetus of the
beginning of the cycle. At that point Saturn was interacting with Pluto
and we were pulled for a bit into the darkness and may have had a re-emergence
of some of the fear of change that Saturn can bring.

With
Jupiter in Aries, there is a desire for constant growth. Jupiter
expands, and Aries is endless energy and initiation of new actions. We
don’t want to be still – we don’t want to submit to any rules. There’s
lots of enthusiasm and passionate and pure, unadulterated drive and this will
be accelerated when Uranus enters Aries in March. Jupiter will remain in
Aries until June 5, at which point it will move into Taurus and have a
grounding influence which will be very helpful as we move into some of the
summer’s more challenging planetary cycles.

This
kind of energy with Jupiter and Uranus in Aries is very exciting for people
that have a lot of fire and air in their charts. They love this opening
door of freedom, and the feeling of change in the air. Others of us that
are more conservative or cautious by nature may find this big push of energy
flying around somewhat frightening. It’s important to remember that
this is the time to break free of old patterns and beliefs that hold us back.
We can’t go back through the door – the old ways are gone. Human
consciousness is accelerating now and we have to break through the barriers
that keep us stuck in a box.

Physical
exercise will help us to release any energy that we cannot handle, and help to
ground us so that we can better utilize the flow of electricity and magnetism
that is affecting us right now.

The
last conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus occurred in 1968 – in fact, the
Apollo mission landed on the very day of the second phase of that conjunction.
At that time, the Uranus/Pluto conjunction of 1962-1968 occurred first,
creating the breakdown of the old ways, and then the shift into consciousness
occurred with Jupiter and Uranus (in Virgo at that time). This time the
shift in consciousness of the Jupiter/Uranus conjunction occurs first, and
then when Pluto squares Uranus next year the changes in the outer world and
global transformation occur in response to the alterations of the inner world.

Predictions for 2011

In looking ahead at 2011, Astrologically, we can see
there are some themes that will continue, some that will/have ended and
some completely new ones that will come into play.

In my book, The Astrological Karma of the USA, I
predicted that during this time there might be some intense energies
bearing upon our relationships with our allies. That has been evident in
some of the testiness in our relationships with allies such as Afghanistan
and Israel. The latest manifestation of the inner realities of our
government’s feelings and attitudes about our allies has been in the
revelation of classified government communications by Wiki Leaks.

A continued stress in our relationships with allies
will continue, with some peaking aspects at the end of the year.

One theme that has played itself out is the two-year
period of five Uranus/Saturn oppositions, the freedom (Uranus) vs.
responsibility (Saturn) battles, which I related last year to both sides
of the healthcare debate. The last big performance of this tension was the
BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Those oppositions have ended, but Saturn went on to
conjunct the natal Saturn of the U.S. (the infamous Saturn Return) and
square our Sun in Cancer. This tension between a caring, nurturing Sun in
Cancer and a restrictive, limitation in our house of ‘role in the
world’ is something that I have used to explain such American conflicts
as the North and South in the Civil War, and the conservative and liberal
elements of the U.S. This tension and conflict, and the need to find a way
to heal and integrate this conflict, will be a major challenging theme in
the year ahead, although 2012 is where this tension gets really testy.
Obviously the conservative and liberal political elements are becoming
more and more polarized and this is likely to continue.

One nation that has been in the news recently that
bears some consideration in 2011 is North Korea. (and our ally South
Korea) The planet in their chart which I am watching is their Neptune in
the Fifth House of parent/child relationships and love affairs. Their
Neptune is square to their Venus and I think this is relatable to their
glorification of their leaders as Father figures, presently Kim Jong-Il
and his father before him.

It reminds me of what Hilarion says about Communism.
He says that Communism will never work because men will never recognize
that they are truly brothers until they recognize a common father. My own
comment is that the only times that Communism seems to work for a time is
when they have a ‘father figure’ where Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, but
human fathers always let you down in the end, even if it is just by dying.

In looking at North Korea one can see that there has
been Saturnian tension on their Neptune over the past couple years and
this is relatable to having to be real with the Saturnian limits of their
great leader, i.e. his ill health and impending death. There has been some
speculation that their recent belligerant behaviour towards South Korea
has been some internal posturing relating to the transition of power to
Kim Jong-Il’s son.

In June and July Uranus will oppose this Neptune
which leads me to think that there could be some sudden change or
impulsive action on the part of North Korea at that time, perhaps the
demise of their great leader or some other sudden freedom from old
patterns. Something to watch.

The planet Neptune is also the planet which is
presenting the one new and highly significant Astrological theme arriving
in 2011.

In the midst of Plutonian intensity on our allies,
Saturnine responsibility and restriction, and Uranian needs for freedom,
all of these being at some point in tension with each other in recent and
approaching times, there is the entry of the second slowest moving planet,
Neptune, into the sign that it rules, Pisces.

Neptune was ‘discovered’ in 1846 at 26 degrees
Aquarius. Earlier this year Neptune completed its first observed orbit
around the Sun, returning to its point of discovery. In relation to this
first cycle of completion Astrologer Barbara Hand Clow has stated: “Once
we have experienced the full orbit of a new planet, the archetype of that
planet is then fully integrated into the human psyche.”

Essentially humanity is beginning a new relationship
with the energy and potential of the planet Neptune.

The last time that Neptune entered Pisces was in
1847. Pisces and Neptune are both related to either victimhood and
suffering, or to compassionate, unconditional love. 1848 was the year that
the Communist Manifesto was published, a document whose purpose was to
address the inequality and suffering of the world’s poor. Astrologer
Adrian Duncan has noted these other events during the last period of
Neptune in Pisces:

“This was the period when Charles Dickens wrote
his novels of social realism, and social democratic demonstrations shook
the capitals of Europe. This was also a time when painters like Renoir,
Gauguin, Van Gogh, Cezanne and Monet made their impressionist paintings,
expanding the world of fantasy and imagination. On the scientific front
Darwin’s theory of evolution completely undermined Christian tradition.
The first photographs were taken, ultimately leading to the coming world
of the movies. Anesthetics were used for the first time in hospitals.
Opium became a socially acceptable drug. The accepted reality of the day
was undermined and new spiritual, emotional and political realities took
form.”

So it seems quite likely that themes of compassion
for humanity’s suffering, or the suffering of the Earth herself, or
spiritual ‘tests of faith’, new flights of imagination or escapism
will come much more into play in the coming years.

To understand the deeper karmic reality of Pisces
and Neptune it is useful to know the specific karmic lesson for someone
who is born with the Sun in Pisces. The Ascended Master Hilarion says that
someone who is Pisces is someone who has, in some previous lifetime, gone
through an experience of emotional pain that was so great that it lead
them to having taken their own life. This gives the Pisces, in this life,
an echoing memory of a certain sadness that doesn’t have to relate to
anything in this life, although we are always given additional baggage.
Hilarion also says “the Piscean is allowed to tap a deep wellspring of
compassion and sympathy for others in the hopes that by occupying himself
with the concerns and sadnesses of others, he will forget the melancholy
of the self and make of the life a shrine of dedication to others.

Pisces have to avoid two temptations, one is to
avoid Neptunian temptations to try to escape the harshness of life through
things like drugs and alcohol, or sleeping too much, or watching TV all of
the time.

I just heard that with the advent of Internet based
television we are soon about to have access to over 2000 TV channels. This
is one manifestation of this coming time of Neptune in Pisces.

The other temptation that a Pisces individual must
avoid is due to the fact that this is a hard world to be a Pisces. Pisces
are very emotionally sensitive, and therefore vulnerable. This is a hard
world to be emotionally vulnerable. Whenever I interpret an Astrology
chart for a Pisces, very often I will see that if there is anything else
in the chart that they can identify with instead, they will, whether it is
their Leo Moon, or their Capricorn Rising, anything to pretend that they
are not a Pisces.

Of course this is not who they really are, and it is
not what their true gift and beauty is, and, they often end up marrying
alcoholics and drug addicts to get them to live their Piscesness for them.
Pisces men are more prone to this kind of denial and projection since
socio-culturally it is more difficult for men to get into the
compassionate aspect of Pisces. It is also more common for Pisces men to
have problems with alcohol or drugs.

One person in the news to watch whose chart will be
significantly triggered with Neptune’s entry into Pisces is Michele
Obama. She has her Moon and Venus in the first degree of Pisces. Some deep
sensitivity or vulnerability will be likely to be there. This could be a
bit tricky for a self-reliant Capricorn, or Michele Obama could really
bring that ambitious, hard-working Capricorn energy to bear with Piscean
sensitivity and vulnerability, both within herself and in the world at
large.

On April 4th Neptune will make its first
dip into the Piscean waters, until it retreats back into Aquarius on
August 4th, returning for 13 years in Pisces in February 2012.

So, this spring and summer will be a first taste of
this vulnerable, mystical, compassionate, perhaps at times overly
fantasiful and escapist God or Goddess of the Sea in its own sign.

There are ways in which Neptune in Pisces may have a
large effect on the United States. First of all, the movement of our
identity through the birthchart, the Progressed Sun, is now in the 7th
degree of Pisces. It entered Pisces the day before the Bush/Kerry election
in 2004 of which I made this comment:

“The Progressed Sun of the United States going
into Pisces for the next thirty years, the day before the election, is
highly significant. Pisces is a watery emotional sign, ruled by the planet
Neptune, which can represent emotional sensitivity, healing compassion,
and spiritual faith and surrender in positive aspect. And, in difficult
aspect, it can represent illusion, confusion, delusion, victimhood and
martyrdom. I pointed out that these energies would be in play no matter
who won the election.”

Our movement of identity through the sign of
Pisces will continue for another 23 years. Pisces is a water sign, in
harmony with the Sun sign of the U.S. namely Cancer, which is also where
we have our Venus and our Jupiter. Neptune entering into Pisces and
affecting our Progressed and Natal Suns could mean some quality of
spiritual awakening, healing and compassion could emerge over the next
several years, helping us to own the caring, nurturing qualities of Cancer
potentially within our Astrological make-up.

In the years following Neptune’s last entry into
Pisces in 1847 there were a lot of utopian spiritual movements coming to
birth in America. This could happen again. It was also the time of the
explosion of the ‘Spiritualist’ movement, those who believed in and
practiced communication between the living and the dead. Here is a quote I
found about the movement on the Unitarian Universalist Association:

“One event that precipitated "Modern
Spiritualism," as it was called, was the 1847 publication of The
Principles of Nature, composed by Andrew Jackson Davis, a young
entranced seer from Poughkeepsie, New York. He claimed the spirit of
Emanuel Swedenborg had dictated the book, an airy speculation on the
evolution of the cosmos, culture and religion. In 1848 three young
sisters, Margaret, Kate and Leah Fox, generated public excitement with
their claim to have contacted spirits of the dead through telegraphic
rapping in their home near Rochester. From the Fox sisters' experience
came the pattern for the séance, or spirit circle. Soon many
"mediums," especially sensitive to "impressions" from
spirits, guided hopeful participants.

The number of spiritualists in America grew rapidly
in the decade of the 1850s. Just before the Civil War spiritualists and
non-spiritualists alike estimated the number as two to three million (out
of a U.S. population of 30 million). Estimates varied wildly since
spiritualism was never a systematically organized phenomenon. It was
pervasive into the early 1870s and then began to fade, though never dying
out completely.”

Of course today we call this channeling. Nonetheless
there could again be a major uptake in a faith in the non-physical realm
throughout the world and especially in the U.S.

I always call Pisces individuals ‘closet
mystics,’ until they ‘come out.’ I think in this time period the
‘closet mystic’ of humanity will need to come out of the closet.

I am finishing up this article on Christmas day and
would like to close with a quote from Jesus that author John Jocelyn
associated with Pisces in his book, Meditations on the Signs of the
Zodiac:

“If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his
life will lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall
find it.” (St. Matthew 16: 24, 25)

Blessings,

Steffan Vanel

Do
you know what is in store for your sign in 2011?

Here
are some 2011 astrology predictions for each zodiac sign based on where
the planets are on New Year’s Day.

Aries

Wealth and a career promotion are in store for you as money planet Jupiter
brings blessings to your sign for the first six months of 2011. Starting
in the spring, Neptune in Pisces will allow you to manifest a long-held
and deeply cherished vision. The last half of the year Saturn in Libra
puts your nose to the grindstone, but career success will ultimately be
yours.

Taurus

Saturn in Libra all year is encouraging your sign to play straight and get
rid of all your debts, so you can purchase something that makes a dream
come true. This spring, you will experience a deep and transformative
emotional healing thanks to Chiron in the emotional sign of Pisces. Also
this spring, Neptune in the Pisces allows you to finally get up the
courage to face your feelings and manifest a new and happy future with the
person you truly love.

Gemini

The lunar eclipse of December 21st in 2010 in your sign gets rid of what
is not working in your career and will likely bring you a way of making
money that suits your talents. Neptune in Pisces brings an emotional
breakthrough; the fears and insecurity that you have been experiencing as
a matter of course will be gone. Wealth and career success are yours, as
money planet Jupiter brings wonderful opportunities your way throughout
2011.

Cancer

Saturn in Libra all year is going to encourage you to be more conservative
about money. You will also be less eager to be friends with “just
anyone” and may drop relationships that don’t work for you’re
anymore. This spring, Chiron in the emotional sign of Pisces brings
emotional healing and a peace of mind you have not known for some time. In
April, Uranus in Aries is going to bring you a chance to make a great deal
of money doing what you love; this wonderful stability will sustain and
nurture you until at least 2018.

Leo

Wonderful opportunities to advance your career abound during the first six
months of 2011, however watch your waistline as this type of configuration
can also make you overweight. In April, Uranus in your fellow fire sign of
Aries is likely to bring you a lucrative new job or entrepreneurial
opportunity that will keep you quite prosperous until at least 2018. The
last half of the year the Saturn in Libra has you working very hard
towards a desired goal; it is important that everything be perfect so pay
attention to detail.

Virgo

Mars squaring Capricorn may have provided you with a wake-up call
regarding a current partner that appears to be taking advantage of you
and, in 2011, you may be required to make do with a promise to yourself to
end this toxic situation. You awaken to a new spiritual awareness this
spring thanks to Chiron in Pisces; you will be more confident about
yourself and more optimistic that the universe will support you in all
that you do. Saturn in Libra for the last six months of the year could
have you working harder than you ever have in your life, but the financial
rewards you reap will be well worth it.

Libra

The lunar eclipse of December 21st in 2010 in your sign is still felt and
will help you find a better job in 2011. You will have an emotional
breakthrough in the spring thanks to Neptune in Pisces. You will finally
find the courage to be with the one you love. Saturn in Libra for the last
half of the year will make things a little dull socially, but you will
have all kinds of opportunities to get ahead in business. Working hard is
generously rewarded the last half of the year.

Scorpio

Starting this February, Chiron in your fellow water sign of Pisces will
bring you a spiritual awakening that has you growing emotionally and
mentally into a more aware, compassionate individual. In April, you are
likely to find a long-term job that provides you better financial
security; Uranus in Aries will help you build a solid new foundation that
stays stable until at least 2018. Pluto in Capricorn will continue to
shake up and have you continually revaluating your closest relationships
through the rest of the year.

Sagittarius

You can expect to make a lot of money in the first six months of 2011
while Jupiter brings you unexpected bonuses and perks at work. Thanks to
Uranus entering Aries in April, you will find yourself in a place of
financial and career security that is likely to last you until 2018.The
last six months Saturn in Libra requires that you spend many hard,
disciplined hours trying to achieve a big goal, so you will have less time
to spend on friends and family than usual. However, the rewards will be
well worth the pain.

Capricorn

Mars in your sign continues to square Saturn causing family problems that
revolve around property and money. The bickering you experienced all of
2010 is likely to continue unless you surrender to opposition. Chiron in
Pisces may have you withdrawing from social interaction this spring; you
will probably seek out psychotherapy to find out why your relationships
have been so problematic. Pluto in your sign all of this year will have
you continually examining and analyzing your relationships and trying to
eliminate toxic situations and patterns.

Aquarius

The lunar eclipse of December the 21st in 2010 will help you find a job
that is much more suited to your talents in the first half of 2011. Uranus
in Aquarius brings you a specific window of opportunity to push a special
idea through to fruition; you will have special luck when it comes to
getting money to support your ideas right through to 2018. Pluto in
Capricorn will have you evaluating why you have certain relationships in
your life and whether they are draining or supporting you.

Pisces

Your career thrives during the first six months of 2011, as wealth planet
Jupiter brings you wonderful opportunities to get ahead and make more
money. You also have a wonderful spiritual awakening that puts you on the
right path to success this February as Chiron, a healing planet, enters
for a long stay in your sign. Pluto in Capricorn all year may have you
sorting out which relationships are worth your time and trouble and which
ones have been too negative or wasting your time.

It’s
been a long time. Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846 and as it
takes 165 years to go around the Sun, it is only recently that it has
returned to its discovery position, which was 26 degrees Aquarius. One year
after its discovery Neptune entered the sign it was later to have rulership
over… Pisces. We have just experienced a Neptune birthday, and on April 4,
2011 this enormous planet will enter Pisces once again. This is going to be
quite an event.The discovery of Neptune coincided with worldwide social
upheaval, which was mostly peaceful. In 1848 the Communist Manifesto was
published, which was a response to the inhuman conditions in expanding
cities where new factories were sprouting as a result of steam power and
industrialization. This was the period when Charles Dickens wrote his novels
of social realism, and social democratic demonstrations shook the capitals
of Europe. This was also a time when painters like Renoir, Gauguin, Van Gogh,
Cezanne and Monet made their impressionist paintings, expanding the world of
fantasy and imagination. On the scientific front Darwin’s theory of
evolution completely undermined Christian tradition. The first photographs
were taken, ultimately leading to the coming world of the movies.
Anesthetics were used for the first time in hospitals. Opium became a
socially acceptable drug. The accepted reality of the day was undermined and
new spiritual, emotional and political realities took form.

Here
in 2010 we can now document the movement of Neptune through each of the
twelve signs, and await a new spiral of Neptunian evolution. The function of
Neptune is to expand our experience of so-called reality by introducing new
dimensions of consciousness. It is a unifying force, making us aware that we
are all in the same evolutionary boat. Neptune reveals the illusion of
generally accepted truths. What we think of as truth is in the last analysis
a relative concept. Whatever personal truth you hang on to as a buffer
against reality, Neptune is happy to dissolve it. Awareness of the human
condition, which for a large part is suffering, and an identification with
fellow sufferers, gives the potential for the awakening of compassion, which
is the spiritual enrichment that Neptune offers.

The
collective influence of Neptune can especially be traced in the dominant
media and myths of the time. Neptune in Libra showed the idealization of
Hollywood romance, and the reality of the dissolution of the iconic
relationships of celebrities. Neptune in Scorpio was free love (meaning free
sex) and the drug scene of the 1960’s. Neptune in Sagittarius was the Star
Wars period culminating in film star President Ronald Reagan’s dream of a
space-based missile system. Neptune in Capricorn was Wall Street and the
idealization of greed. And the recent transit of Neptune through Aquarius
from January 1998 to April 2011 has coincided rather nicely with the ban on
smoking in public buildings (who would have thought that possible?), the
surge of the internet, all those Facebook friends, the democratization of
the cinema through YouTube, Dot Com crashes and DreamWorks, aided and
abetted of course by Uranus in Pisces, which for much of this period has
been in reception with Neptune.

But
the tone of the world is about to change, and it will change because of
social unrest, which is the inevitable result of the draconic restrictions
that must be imposed by governments trying to weather the meltdown of
capitalism. For that is what the transit of Pluto through Capricorn
represents, and when Pluto finally enters Aquarius in 2024, there will be
little that remains of the autocratic structures that are currently being
put in place to safeguard the banks and corporations whose survival is
currently threatened.

There
were 180 million unemployed people around the globe at the time the Great
Recession started (which was when Pluto came into Capricorn in 2008); this
figure has increased by 30 million in the last two years, the largest
increase being in the United States. (Note 1) Youth unemployment in Spain
has doubled to almost 40%. Workers in Europe are accepting pay freezes and
pay cuts. With the replication of the Uranus/Pluto square from the 1930’s
- but this time with Pluto in business-Capricorn, rather than
nationalistic-Cancer - this recession is just about to bite. Any recovery
will be excruciatingly slow, and it will be largely jobless. The loss of
jobs in the US means that people are getting evicted from their homes, some
to live in their cars, and when they cannot pay for the cars, then in tent
cities springing up all over the country.

That
is why Neptune is needed in Pisces. Forget the dreams of billionaire
fortunes made by internet startups and social networking sites; what is
needed now is universal concern for the millions of economically displaced
people who have to resort to state handouts and charity. You could become
one of them. The awareness of the suffering of the underprivileged has
scarcely begun. What we will see over the next few years is the extreme
polarization of right-wing solutions, which is part of the Uranus/Pluto
effect in Aries/Capricorn, in contrast with left wing solutions, reflected
by the Pluto/Neptune sextile from Capricorn to Pisces.

This
process will take place in stages, with initial awareness and concern as
Neptune dips its toe in the Piscean ocean on April 4, 2011, retreating to
Aquarius again from August 5, 2011 to February 3, 2012, after which time
there will be 13 straight years with Neptune in Pisces. Early in this period
there will be good governance reflected by Saturn in Libra, which can be
characterized as the time of President Obama.

It
is when Saturn moves into Scorpio, in reception with Pluto in Capricorn and
trining Neptune, that things get interesting. This combination is a strong
counterpoint to the survivalist dictates of the Uranus/Pluto square, and
shows a serious mobilization of state compassion. Generally this will
coincide with left-leaning governments worldwide, though there could just as
well be right-wing quasi-dictatorships. It is worth remembering that the
year Neptune entered Pisces for the first time - 1847 - the Communist
Manifesto was published with the memorable words “Workers of the world,
unite!”

2013
is the year when the Saturn>Pluto>Neptune pattern really kicks in.
Saturn enters Scorpio immediately trining Neptune, goes on to sextile Pluto
then retrogrades to make a long trine to Neptune in June, July and August
2013.

The
Saturn/Pluto sextile is tough love. The need for a transformation of
existing state, business and banking structures will be strong, but nobody
is going to use democratic methods to ask anybody for their point of view.
This is emergency surgery, performed by powerful rulers through secretive
and autocratic methods. Taxes will be ruthlessly imposed with a view to
alleviate the social disasters of the time. There will be corruption and the
rooting out of corruption. Industry barons will do all within their power to
maintain their advantages at this time through strong links to government.
But they will also be moved to reach out to the disadvantaged to alleviate
their suffering, if only to burnish their image.

It
is difficult for us to imagine at this stage the plight that society will
find itself in. To give an example: On the exact day when Chiron, which is
after all a very minor planetary body, moved into Pisces, the oil rig
Deepwater Horizon exploded, leading to the biggest pollution disaster in
American history. The oil poured out of an open wound in the ocean floor for
many months and - in true Chiron fashion - could not be healed. There is a
strong likelihood that the entry of Neptune into Pisces will have even more
far-reaching consequences. No doubt this will bring a very strong focus on
nature and the environment in the coming decade, but it will be the social
conditions of the human family that will take precedence. Neptune’s
arrival in Pisces can also bring fears of epidemics (note 2) but in the long
run this influence is sure to bring wonderful advances in medicine, just as
the last transit through Pisces brought chloroform and the wonders of
anesthetics, as well as the first collective health schemes.

The
transit of Neptune through Pisces will see the beginning of the ascendancy
of Africa. In fact it was when Neptune entered Pisces in 1847 that the first
African colony gained independence, when slaves freed in America returned to
Africa and declared Liberia an independent country. Slaves liberated an
enslaved land. It is likely that the growing worldwide food shortages can be
alleviated by more effective farming in Africa, which currently is very
inefficiently cultivated, and the riches found in agricultural, mineral and
oil reserves will finally bring prosperity.

The
sensitivity of nations to food shortages will probable be one of the major
sources of unrest in the developing world in the coming period. Here in 2010
drought and fires in Russia have led to a ban on wheat exports and prices
worldwide have risen over 60% leading in turn to the danger of food riots in
countries that traditionally import a lot of wheat, like Egypt. Back in 1847
there was famine in Europe, and over the next 13 years two million
immigrants arrived in New York… over a million being Irish. (Note 3)

In
response to shortages, harvesting the sea will also be undertaken on a vast
scale in this period, and with mass production of factory fish, a much
greater awareness of the ecological downsides of the process will dawn,
leading to more humane standards for fish. Extraction of oil from the ocean
will play an even greater role, and as a shortage of oil begins to threaten
the smooth functioning of industry, vast undersea reserves will be exploited
in previously pristine environments around Greenland and in the Arctic.

Neptune
in Pisces will bring a global focus on the suffering of humanity and a
corresponding urge to alleviate this suffering through social change. The
social upheaval that shook Europe from 1848 - 1850, as the Communist
Manifesto was translated into every European language, resulted in a
revolution in Czechoslovakia (successfully suppressed), in Austria
(suppressed but serfdom abolished and emperor abdicates), Budapest, Berlin,
Milan and Rome, Ireland and Britain (the Chartist movement). In France
students and workers seized Paris, and a new French Republic was proclaimed.
Thousands of workers died as the French military put down the revolt. France
was the European country most marked by the entry of Neptune into Pisces,
and the 1848 revolution led to the abandonment of the monarchy and the
establishment of the Second Republic, founded with a Sun/Neptune conjunction
in Pisces. (It did not last long).

Neptune’s
influence in a sign is not necessarily as drastic as that of Uranus or
Pluto, but it reaches deep and subtly alters everything. For example it was
after Neptune entered Capricorn that the Iron Curtain was torn down and the
Berlin Wall fell. This was the beginning of a new political order in Russia
(and the world) which initially caused immense hardship for the people. But
there was euphoria too for those who felt liberated from decades of
repression. When Neptune entered Aquarius in January 1998 (which it did
simultaneously with Bill Clinton saying those famous words: “I never had
sexual relations with that woman” - the biggest and funniest media lie
ever) it was the time when the world was bewitched by the virtual world, and
dot com millionaires made their fortune. We all relocated to cyberspace and
people dematerialized to reappear as ghostly presences on Facebook, Twitter,
MySpace and the rest. A global unification was created, but digital
revolution also created the web of financial structures that brought
financial chaos and dissolution.

Neptune
in Pisces will bring a need for spiritual content. Not the digital psychics
and clairvoyants who have thrived with Uranus in Pisces, but for
compassion-centered altruism. People will withdraw from the small comfort of
a Facebook universe - sell your shares now (it’s a bubble) - and seek
privacy and seclusion. Suffering will be too real for dabblers in
spirituality, and true solidarity will be found in helping people who are in
situations where - but for the grace of God - you could find yourself.

Adrian
Ross Duncan

Pluto Enters Capricorn

January 25, 2008 10:44 pm - March 23, 2023

The
planet Pluto represents the deeps, the bottom of the well, the unexplored depths
of darkness.
Pluto in the year 2008 will enter in Capricorn, and its passage will last until
2024.
It 's interesting to note that this planetary combination shows the depths with
Pluto,
and the heights with Capricorn, the sign of the “Mountain Goat”.It is a
vertical movement, either from above to below, or, the other way around.
Vertical is a very spiritual direction, if it points upward! The inferior opens
up to the Superior.Both
deal with the right use of power, and the right use of the will.
The enormous potential of this combination can have a regenerative effect on the
masses.
The process will be slow in motion, Pluto is a slow-moving planet , and because
Capricorn is a cautious, patient, target-oriented sign, we can figure out the
reformer and structural impact.
Both are working in alliance, to ameliorate the social scene.
Capricorn rules political leaders, the government, and people in positions of
social power.
Pluto's power is polarized.
It is extreme, tending either to the harmonious or to the disharmonious. This
will make politics more black and white but whichever political wing gains
power, the masses will exercise more active participation.
Distorted Plutonian power, has to do with money, sex, abuse, etc. Pluto is raw
power wherever it is used for selfish ends it will have a boomerang effect upon
selfish individuals, or nations.
Pluto in Capricorn can break crystallized old concepts, structures, and outlived
forms of government.
It rules the homoeopathic principle in medicine, and will bring purifying change
to whatever needs to be cleared up.
The generation of children born under this configuration can well be called:
”The Reformers”.
We are entering into the period of 2500 years of the Aquarian Age, this will
introduce a general growth of consciousness.
This combination of Capricorn with Pluto can challenge the status-quo of those
who hold unequal power.
Ultimately, we are referring to power unequal to their Soul's development. So,
for the individual, so for a nation.By Leni Sibilio

A
Solar Eclipse is when there
is a New Moon, the Sun and Moon are together.

A Lunar Eclipse is when there is a Full Moon,
the Sun and Moon are opposite.

Influence
of the MoonAs the Moon goes along her
way, she magically appears and disappears, Waxing to Full from the barest silver
of a crescent just after she's New, then Waning back to her invisible New phase
again. The four quarters - the New Moon, the second quarter, the Full Moon, and
the fourth quarter - correspond to the growth cycle of living things.First Quarter/New Moon This phase begins when the Moon and Sun are together
in the sky or conjunct to one another. At the beginning of the phase, the Moon
is invisible , hidden by the brightness of the Sun as they travel the skytogether.
The Moon is often said to be in her "dark phase" when she is New,
and toward the end of this phase, the Moon pulls father away from the Sun
and begins to Wax or grow toward the second stage, when a delicate silver
crescent will appear. The first quarter corresponds with all New
beginnings; this is the time to begin a project.
Second QuarterThe second quarter begins when the Moon has
moved 90 degrees away from the Sun. At this point, the WaxingMoon
rises at about noon and sets about midnight. She can be seen in the western
sky during the early evening hours as she grows from a crescent to her Full
beauty. This period corresponds with the development of life, and with projects
that are coming close to fruition.
Third Quarter/Full MoonThis phase begins with the Full Moon, which is
when the Sun and Moon are opposite to one another in the sky - literally
in opposition - and the Moon is reflecting all of the Sun's light.
She is perfectly round at this point and well able to light the night - so well,
in fact, that she casts Moon-shadows. It's now that she can be seen
rising in the East at sunset, a bit later each night as this phase progresses.
This is a time that corresponds with the culmination of plans, with maturity and
completion. As she begins now to Wane - or decrease - our plans come to
bear, and we see the concrete results of the actions we initiated with the New
Moon.
Fourth QuarterThis phase occurs when the Moon has moved 90
degrees past the Full phase. At this time, she decreases in light and
rises at midnight. She can be seen now in the eastern sky during the late
evening hours and doesn't reach her highest point in the sky until early in the
morning. This period in her journey corresponds with "disintegration"
or a symbolic drawing back to reflect on accomplishments. It's now time to
reorganize, clear the boards, and plan for the next New Moon stage.

Mercury
Retrograde: A Communication BreakdownThe way retrograde movement seems to affect our
affairs is a bit involved. Every three months, Mercury goes through a
retrograde period of three weeks. When this happens, it means the head of the
Communications Department isn't paying close attention to where he's going
because he's watching where he came from. Mercury doesn't tend to details
as carefully as usual. And because Mercury correlates with Hermes, the
original trickster, some of these errors can be very cleverly disguised.
All types of communications become confused, delayed, or
misunderstood during Mercury retrograde. Letters are lost, sent to
Auckland instead of Oakland, or stuffed under the car seat for three weeks. We
sign a contract or agreement and find out later that our information was
incorrect or what we signed was misleading in some way. We try repeatedly to
reach someone via telephone but can never catch them, or our communications
devices themselves break down or garble information in some way. The written
word falls victim to Mercury's retrograde via constant errors. Our timing
is off and short trips become difficult. We forget directions at home or write
them incorrectly. We're late for or completely forget about our appointments.
So, is there a constructive use of this time period? Aren't
all planetary energies good for something? Astrologer Erin Sullivan has noted
that the ratio of time Mercury spends moving retrograde to direct, or
forward, corresponds with the amount of time humans spend awake and asleep -
about a third of the time. So this period can be a time to take stock of what's
happened and to assimilate our experiences just as we do when we sleep. New
plans don't go forward well during Mercury retrograde because we're not
supposed to be moving forward, just reviewing the past in preparation for our
next stage of activity. A good rule of thumb with Mercury retrograde is
to try to undertake activities that have "re" attached to the
beginning of the word: reschedule, repair, return, rewrite, redecorate, restore,
replace, renew, renovate.

Retrogrades
of the Other PlanetsAs for the other planets, their retrogrades seem to
work the same way. With Venus retrograde, relationships and money matters
are delayed or muddled. With Mars retrograde, aggressors or initiators of
battle are defeated, and new activities are confused or end up at cross-purposes
to original intentions.

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